Return to You
by AJsHellCat
Summary: what happens when Michelangelo's best friend returns to New York after 6 years?
1. Return to You chapter one

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own the TMNT or anything affiliated with them. I do, however, own Christine. This is my first TMNT story so take it easy on me okay?

The weather here in New York had certainly been less than stellar the last four days. Why? It had been raining non-stop. This wasn't what I had imagined when I had decided to move to New York. But I supposed that if this was what I had to deal with for a while to get on my feet, then fine. I stared at the box of art supplies lying on the floor in front of me. Soon, all the contents of said box would be all set up in my very own in-home art studio. I smiled at the thought.

My life-long dream was finally in my hands. All I had to do now was spend some days painting so that I could have material to set up in the art gallery I was eventually going to own.

Sure, I had enough money to open one now due to the generous donations from my wealthy parents, but I wanted this to be something I worked for. I wanted to earn the money for it. That way, I could feel like it was really mine and not my parents.

Despite that, I loved them. They were caring and gave me a great life. I had grown up in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was a small town that was only twenty minutes or so from Regina, the provinces capital. The house we lived in was gorgeous and of course, huge. Nothing like the medium sized condo I owned now.

But size didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that it was mine.

Finally, I sighed and resigned myself to unpacking a few boxes. It was going to be a big job since I was a full-fledged packrat. I never had the heart to throw anything away. I had buckled down, well at least a little, and cleared a portion of my stuff before I had left.

I glanced around the condo one more time, smiling. It would suit me fine. There was a decent sized kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom full with a tub and shower. It was all I needed.

The first box I opened had family keepsakes and photos in it. I chuckled. My mother had insisted that I bring them along so I always thought of home. Of course, that was going to be a given anyway. I stacked them carefully and put them into the bottom shelf of a small buffet I had had as a child. Suddenly, one photo caught my eye.

I picked it out of the pile and stared at it. It was me and my best friend, Mike or Michelangelo as was his full name. I had met him while I was on vacation with my family here in New York when I was 15 years old. Now, one would think it would be normal to have such a picture around. But it isn't so normal when said friend was a five foot eleven mutant ninja turtle.

I thought back to the day I had met him for the first time 6 years ago. We had just gotten into New York in the evening and my mother and father had gone to bed. I was restless from being in the plane all day and wanted to explore. I had climbed out of bed and crept onto our hotel balcony. There I sat, watching the stars.

That is, until a sound had caught my attention. That's when I had seen Mike come out of the sewers with his brothers, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello. I had sat completely frozen watching them, taking in the sight of seeing four large talking turtles mill about in the alley. I thought I had been dreaming so I pinched myself. I blinked and still saw them. After the fear subsided, curiosity took over and I followed them into the sewer I had seen them come out of.

Of course, I got caught by Raphael or Raph as he liked to be called. They were angry at first but when the realized that it was all due to innocent curiosity they let me off a little easier. But not without a warning though, I wasn't to reveal their existence to anyone for any reason. I agreed. From there, I learned their strange story. How strange ooze had made them grow and become human-like. How Splinter, who was a giant rat, had taken care of them and trained them to be ninjas as his owner had been.

I became fast friends with them, but my closest friend was Michelangelo. I had been crushed when we left to go back home. Mike and I held each other and cried like babies until I had to leave. Just before I left, I begged and pleaded for a photo as a memento. I got one. And now, here I sat, 6 years later, holding it in my hand.

We still kept in touch with letters for all those years, but I had never been able to return until now. I knew at that moment that I needed to see him and the boys again.


	2. Return to You chapter two

AUTHOR'S NOTE: sorry that chapter two took so long to be put up. I've had a time finishing it. I've had lots going on in the last few days, but here we are now!

That evening, after three solid hours of unpacking, I kicked back on the small porch attached to my new home. I still had a little bit to do, but for the most part it was finished. Sighing, I sipped the tea I had made myself. It warmed me up despite the cooling air outside. I scanned the city, watching a few people come and go. Some probably were getting ready for a night on the town while others might be going to work on a nightshift. I enjoyed people watching. It was interesting.

Just then, I heard something that sounded like metal scraping against metal. Curious, I looked around to see where it might have come from. My eyes rested on an opened manhole in the middle of an alley that was right across the street from my condo. I watched carefully as four very familiar figures climbed out. It was them! I was so elated I almost shouted at them so they would see me. Fortunately, I caught myself. One did not want to announce their presence. It was part of being a ninja, as Splinter had told me.

Instead, I watched them while excitement bubbled away inside me. I noted that they were certainly less gangly than they had been. Their muscles were clearly defined and well-built. I noticed that they had all grown, too. They certainly would prove to be an intimidating sight to anyone who tried to tangle with them.

I watched Raph freeze for a moment then turn in my direction. A huge smile was suddenly plastered across his face. I smiled and waved back. He nudged Mike who was closest to him and pointed at me. Mike did the same thing, only he was waving frantically and nearly toppled onto his shell. I suppressed a chuckled and waved back at him too. Mike excitedly tapped Donny and Leo on the shoulder too. They too waved and smiled.

Mike gave a signal that they were going to head up in my direction. Within seconds, they all stood on my small porch.

"Hey, welcome back Christine!" Mike said, hugging me tightly. "I missed you!"

I hugged him back just as fiercely. "I missed you too, Mike."

Once he released me, he gave me a once over. "My...you have certainly grown up since I last saw you! You're nearly as tall as me!" he said, chuckling.

I grinned. "You have about 6 inches on me!"

Mike smiled. "So, I do! Close enough." I laughed.

I turned to look at the others. "You guys have grown too! Now I feel small!"

"Awh," said Raph, "You ain't small; you're just the right size."

"Thanks, Raph." I said, patting his shell.

"So, are you visiting again?" Donny asked.

"No," I said, smiling, "I just moved here. I'm going to eventually open an art gallery here."

Leo smiled. "Just like you told us you were going to."

I nodded. "Yes, that is correct. I'm very happy to be finally living my dream."

Mike smiled. "Way to go! So, you got any food in this joint?"

Raph glared at his brother and smacked him upside the head. "You already ate!"

Donny smirked. "That doesn't matter, Raph. He's always hungry."

Raph laughed at that. "True enough."

I walked over and patted mike's shell. "It's okay. You're more than welcome to some frozen pizza I picked up the other day."

His eyes twinkled. "Right on!"

I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. "Alright then, I'll get it all going."

And with that, I turned on the oven so it could preheat to the right temperature. Once that was done, I threw in the pizza and set the timer.

"So, what have you guys been up to lately?"

"It's still pretty much normal." Leonardo said, "Don finally got some cable on the TV he installed in the lair."

"Nice! I remember Mikey complaining about that in his last letter."

I looked over at him and smiled. He gave me a goofy grin back. I chuckled. I really had missed seeing those. I should have tried to come back sooner. I felt a small stab of guilt for that but squelched it. There was nothing I could have done. Funds, well my funds, couldn't finance another trip. But, here I was now and that was all that mattered.

I watched Mike's smile turn from goofy to tender while I looked at him. I felt unexpected warmth in my heart upon seeing it. Now that was new. Still, it was unsettling. I stifled it and decided not to think about it.

"Pizza's almost ready." I said and turned to check on it. I noticed Mikey frown from the corner of my eye. I wondered briefly why but shut the thought away.

I sighed as I heard the ding from my oven a few minutes later. I grabbed my oven mitts and pulled the pizza out onto the counter.

"Now," I said, addressing my green friends, "You have to let this cool for a minute or two or you'll burn yourselves."

"Yes, mom, we got it." Raph teased.

I rolled my eyes but chuckled despite myself. "Very funny, Raphael I appreciate you thinking of me as a mothering type." I said sarcastically, but I was smiling.

"Well, we need someone to." Mike pointed out, "We have Splinter fathering us already." He joked.

Everyone laughed. "That's very true, Mikey." Donny said, still chuckling at his brother.

I served them each a couple of pieces and had one myself. They ate the pizza with great enthusiasm which, of course, was expected of them, as they were great pizza lovers.

"Thank you very much for feeding us." Leonardo said in a very gentlemanly like manner. Being the unspoken leader, he figured he had to be the polite one. I knew that he didn't trust his brothers to follow suit unless they were asked to. It frustrated him to no end, but they wouldn't change their ways. They were stubborn just-out-of-their-teenage-years boys.

What had amazed me most about all of them was that they were very pronounced individuals. Each had their own distinct personality. Raph was the one with the rough exterior. He had a short temper and smart mouth. To top it off, he had the thickest New York accent I had ever heard. Donny was the shy, sweet scientist one of the bunch. He was forever curious about the world around him. He was the one that they always depended on to fix things and make life easier for them. For example, he had put in showers so they could clean the sewer smell off of them after being out.

Mikey was the goofy one with the classic surfer accent. Despite that, he was still pretty perceptive and smart when he wanted to be. At the time I had met him, I was much the same way which was why we bonded so strongly. I still was in a way but I had matured since then. But then again, so had he. I watched him out of the corner of my eye while I gathered up their dishes and set them next to the sink.

He was sitting in the middle of the floor cross-legged looking at the PS2 I had bought a year or two earlier. His eyes were lit up like a kid's.

"I'll have that hooked up pretty soon, Mike, don't worry. Then you can play it all you like."

He blushed slightly at the fact that I had read his thoughts so clearly, but that was short lived as his excitement took over.

"That would rock!"

Donny shook his head. "Now you've done it, Christine. We'll never see him again!" The purple masked turtle laughed.

"We'll come around and haul him home for training though." Leonardo said, joining in on the joke.

"Hey!" Mike said, clearly not impressed with their making fun of him.

They all just laughed. Mike grumbled and chose not to say anything. It was obvious he was used to this sort of thing.

"Speaking of home, we have to get there right away. Master Splinter wants us to clean up a little." Donny said and sighed.

They all groaned. "Oh I hate cleaning!" Raph grumbled.

"I second that!" Mikey said and stood to stretch.

"Well, thanks for having us. It was nice seeing you again." Leonardo said and hugged me once more. In turn, the rest of them followed.

I felt that same warmth again when it was Michelangelo's turn. I unconsciously lingered for a moment, just enjoying his embrace. Afterwards, we inadvertently locked eyes. Something flickered there, something that I couldn't put a name on. Whatever it was had me transfixed.

He broke the connection, smiled, and took off after his brothers. I stood on my porch and watched them leave. What had just happened there a few moments ago? Why was he making me feel all those foreign emotions?

There were too many questions that I didn't have the answers to. Sighing, I waited until they were out of sight before I went back inside and did the dishes. As I did, I tried not to think of that orange masked turtle as anything other than my best friend.


	3. Return to You chapter three

AUTHOR'S NOTE: in response to some reviews, I say I'm sorry that the splinter thing wasn't totally correct... I was

going on memory and mine is not that great. thanks for pointing it out to me. :) in future stories, I shall be sure

to add the correction in. ack..it was hard to type without putting in proper english for these guys..LOL. it's a habit that was

drilled into me by my english teacher..shudders at memories but for accuracy, I shall give it my best!

As for the four mutant turtles, they were all hard at work sparring in the dojo under the command of Splinter.

"You are doing well!", "Again, please!", and other such commands could be heard. Mike swung his chucks lazily

while waiting to spar with Leonardo.

"Man, is it luchtime yet?" Mikey mumbled to himself. His stomach had been growling for about an hour or so now and

it was really starting to bother him. If he didn't eat something soon, he figured he would start chewing on his own

green arm.

'Another one of those great frozen pizza's of Chris's would be nice.' he thought. Memories of the day they had

reunited played through his mind. What had stunned him the most he had to admit was how lovely she was. Not that

she wasn't pretty before, but somehow, she'd gotten even more so. Her hair was longer and her body slimmer.

And of course, other specifically female attributes had made themselves known. He felt his body grow warm, as

if he had been working out much longer than he had. These new feelings scared him a little, but fascinated him

at the same time.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter shouted suddenly, breaking the orange-masked turtle out of his thoughts.

"Yes, sensei?" he answered.

"It is time for you and your brother to spar."

Mike nodded and got into his fighting stance as did Leo. As they met blow for blow, mike made humorous sound

effects, making Donny and Raph grin.

"Always the stinkin' clown, even when we're trainin'" Raph said and shook his head.

Donny shrugged and twirled his bo in his hand. "Just the way he is."

Raph grumbled in his signature manner then stuck both of his sai in his belt.

"I'm beat." the red masked turtle announced. "I'm gonna grab some lunch."

Hearing this, Splinter nodded. "As you wish. Michelangelo and Leonardo shall join you as soon as they are

done this last spar."

The two turtles acknowledged their sensei and left the dojo.

Leonardo watched his brother closely while they fought. It was clear to him that something other than sparring

was on his mind. He couldn't say exactly what, but it was something. Mike rarely stewed over anything really, but if

it was important enough to him he would. That of course brought on a barrage of questions that Leo knew he wouldn't

get the answers to. Sighing, he pushed his thoughts from his mind and concentrated on landing his brother's butt

on the mat.

In the end, much to Leo's satisfaction, he did plant Mikey's butt on the mat. Mikey grumbled and muttered something

about Leo not being fair. The blue-masked turtle just chuckled and re-sheathed his katanas.

While they were eating lunch below, I was struggling with hanging a painting. I cursed as I hit my thumb instead

of the nail.

"No pain, no gain." I muttered and raised the hammer again. This time, I was successful. Smiling, I climbed down

my stepstool and admired my work. It was one of my prized paintings that had taken me months to complete. It was of

a large, black dragon, sitting on top of a hill watching the sunset. I had a thing for painting and drawing

mythological creatures. Although, I also enjoyed doing people and horses and of course, my friends.

I stared at an unfinished painting of Michelangelo sitting against the wall. The basic pencil work was completed

and basic colours applied, but it lacked details. I had started it shortly after I had gotten home from my vacation

to New York, but seeing Mikey on the canvas only made me teary-eyed and miss him terribly. And so, I tossed it into

my closet and forgot about it. Somehow, I had ended up bringing it with me to my move to New York. I wasn't sure how

it had happened, but it did.

I hung a few more paintings before giving my poor thumb, which I hit a few more times, a rest. Again, my gaze rested on the unfinished work. I studied it for a long moment. I came to the conclusion that it would be a grand idea to finish it. Perhaps as a present for Mikey? That thought made me smile. Decision made, I walked into the room that was to be my studio. All I needed to do in retrospect was throw down a tarp, get my paints, and find my easel. All of which I set out to do. Once that was done, I set down to work.

I watched as the details finally came into place. It was amazing how much I could remember from memory. It was as though he had been burned into my mind. Perhaps he had been. I sighed as I painted a casual smile on his face. I grinned, feeling as though I should return it.

"Ah, there we go..all done." I said with a strong sense of satisfaction.

Carefully, I signed it and set it in a safe place to dry. I groaned as I discovered that my butt was sore. Just how long had I been sitting? I checked my watch and nearly fainted when I saw that I had been working for a solid four hours. And it was time for dinner. Feeling my stomach rumble confirmed it. For the fun of it, I put on a mixed music disc to dance and sing to while I cooked. Michael Jackson's "You Rocked my World" blasted through my stereo, as the first song. While I cooked the KD or Kraft Dinner I swung my hips to the beat. I was glad nobody could see me. I probably looked pretty darn funny at that moment.

Just then, I heard a tap at my living room window. I looked to see Mikey grinning at me. I blushed, figuring he must have seen me dancing. Despite that, I let him inside.

"Nice dancing." he said, smirking. Yup. I was right, he had seen me.

"Uh, thanks." I said sheepishly. He just laughed and got comfortable on my couch.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" I asked, getting back to my KD.

"I was kinda thinking it would be cool if you could see the lair. We've done a bunch of stuff to it. It looks better than before."

"I would love to see it! just let me eat my supper here and we'll go."

"Alright! Deal!" he said and whooped for joy. I laughed at his antics. 'Still as goofy as ever.'

While I ate, he told me all about the stuff they had done to the lair. From putting in plumbing(which I remembered from the letter), electricity, and even cable TV. Which, as Mikey informed me, still baffled him as to how Donny, who had been appointed to do it, had accomplished it.

"That's impressive! I don't suppose you guys learned the fine art of cleaning while you were at it?" I joked. Mikey gave me a look like I had grown an extra head. I laughed heartily.

"Okay..." I said between giggles, "We can go now."

Mikey re-donned his trenchcoat and fedora and I threw on my jacket and my sneakers. We were off.

Once we got there, Mikey became my tour guide.

"There's the TV." he pointed to right away. "We got that from April, another human friend of ours, as a Christmas present." At the moment, Raph was sitting in front of it, flipping through the channels.

"Hey, Raph." I greeted.

"Hello! what's happenin?"

"Mikey's showing me around the lair. Well, showing me all the new stuff he says you guys have."

Raph nodded. "Donny's been workin' his shell off makin' the place a little homier. I tell ya, I'm gratefull. Don't know what I would do without evenin' cartoons."

I laughed at that and had to agree. "I love evening cartoons too. Family Guy is my favourite. Stewie rocks."

"Right on!" he said, "The kid's evil but he's so damn funny."

I chuckled and told him I agreed. Soon afterwards, Mikey whisked me away to show me the plumbing, which I had to admit was amazing. I made a note to ask Donny how he did it.

"Donny's working on getting us heat down here so we don't freeze during the winter."

"Cool. I wish him luck with that."

We walked down the long hall from the bathroom to his room. I suddenly felt a bit awkward walking in there. I hadn't before, but something in the air was different. Even while I had been talking to Raph, all I had been really aware of was Mikey. What were all these new feelings? and why were they happening now? I had felt the same things while I was painting him aswell. Good lord, what was going on? I sure would like to know.

Mikey was looking at me as though he knew exactly what I was thinking. Still, I was unwilling to say anything and distracted myself by making a comment on his decor.

"The furniture is gorgeous. Where did you find it?"

"Uh...I made it actually. April got me the wood for it. Her boyfriend, Casey, dabbles in carpentry. He's pretty good."

"Mikey..." I breathed, tracing the intricate patterns on the legs and top of the nightstand he had, "It's amazing...I'd say you're pretty good yourself."

Mikey had the good grace to blush. "Thanks..."

"You could sell this stuff...I have a feeling alot of people would love it."

A sorrowfull expression came across his face. "I wish...but being a mutant turtle doesn't allow that luxury."

I sighed as I realized he was right. It was awful that such talent had to go to waste. Suddenly, I had a brainwave. Maybe it didn't have to after all.

"Hey..when I open up my shop I'll put some of your work in it..you can sell it that way!"

A huge smile lit up his face. "Woohoo! That would rock! Ah, Christine, you're the best!" he grabbed me into a huge bear hug. I grinned and hugged him back. Suddenly, that heat chose that moment to return. well, become more well-known is more like it. I could see the heat in his eyes and knew that he was feeling the same thing. We stared at each other for a long moment, not willing to move from each other's arms.

Just then a knock at the door broke the moment. I jumped back out of his arms. "Hey! it's me! Leo! Time for training Mikey!"

"Alright! I'm coming!" he said and took off for the dojo.

I stood alone in his room, still shell-shocked. pardon the pun, but it was true. A startling fact had just made itself known. I was attracted to him! and from the way he looked at me, he felt he same! Now this was going to make things a hell of alot harder. How could I think of feeling this way? It would ruin everything I was sure...if things didn't work out, where would I be? minus a best friend that's what! And that would never do.

Inevitably, that brought me to the question: what do I do about this situation? Sadly, I was at a loss. I walked slowly out of Mikey's room and sat down on the couch in the living room. Well, I thought, I'll just act civil and like it never happened. Then maybe things would be okay, well at least for a while.

When the boys were finished, they filed out of the dojo and took turns showering. My eyes followed Mikey as he spared a small glance at me before turning the corner to their bathroom. My traitorous heart lept. It was Raph who noticed the brief exchange and raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

"Now what was that look about?"

I tried to play dumb. "What look?"

"Don't be playin' dumb with me, missy." he warned, "Somethin's goin' on. I aint sure what, but somethin'."

Ah crap. Curse the preceptive red masked turtle. And with that, he left the room not without sparing me a warning glance that promised interrogation. Oh lovely, I thought. This was going to be fun. Not! I looked around desparately hoping for a rock I could crawl under and hide.

Thankfully, Splinter saved me.

"Alright my sons, I wish for you to do those dishes you have left for too long. We must have this place looking nice since we have a guest." he said, looking at me and smiling.

They all groaned in unison, muttering things, but nevertheless respectfull enough not to disobey Splinter. I sighed relief. I flipped on the TV to distract myself from my thoughts. I don't know how long I sat there, but the next thing I knew, someone was sitting next to me. I looked up to see Raphael. Dang!

"So," he began, "You jonesin' for Mikey or what?"

"No, he's my best friend and that's all it is..."

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Hey! what did I tell ya about lyin'?"

"Raph.." I said, getting a little annoyed.

"It wouldn't work ya know."

I shivered at the iciness in his voice. "What the hell do you mean by that?" I demanded, not willing to let him intimidate me in any way.

"Simple." Raph said, folding his arms across his chest and fixing me with a glare. "The last girl that Mikey let get close to him left." he said, looking pointedly at me.

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah. So you might wanna think about leavin' my bro alone, got it?"

"I wasn't-"

I couldn't finish my sentence because Raph had stormed out of the room. I flinched as his bedroom door slammed shut. I let all the things he said sink in. Did I really hurt mikey that bad by leaving to go back home? It didn't seem like that to me. He was always joyfull when I was around. I began to feel that maybe Raph was either jealous or Mikey was hiding some serious emotions from me. Nevertheless I was furious. It wasn't my fault that I left! I had to! I was only in New York for a bloody vacation!

The the turtle in question entered the room. "I heard Raph's door slam. He in a funk again?"

"Uh yeah." I said, wishing not to lead on that I knew why.

Mikey got a look of sympathy on his face and rubbed my shoulder in reassurance. The contact was so lovely I could have melted but I held myself together.

"He just gets that way sometimes, no worries."

I sighed and unconciously leaned into his arms. I felt his arms hesistant to move at first, but when they did, they went around me. I sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. I had to stay calm. I had to! If I didn't...well, I knew for a fact I wasn't prepared to deal with the rest of that thought. So, why wasn't I moving out of his embrace and therefore away from possible temptation?

Mikey slowly turned me around so that I had to look up into his eyes. I was lost instantly. Okay, there's my reason.

"Thanks." he said softly.

"For what?"

"Coming back. For deciding to open your gallery here. 'cause I'm sure that you coulda opened it at home but ya didn't."

"You're welcome." I was silent for a moment. Now seemed as good a time as any to ask him if Raph's accusations had any merit. "Uh, Mikey, did I hurt you alot when I left to go back home after my trip?"

Mikey frowned at the question but answered me nonetheless. "Awh, babe it sucked when ya left I won't lie about that, but you're back now so it's all good again."

Taking a deep breath, I spilled about Raph's and I's conversation.

"And so I was worried he was right." I said, finishing finally. Tears stung my eyes.

"Ack! what an ass! That totally isn't how I feel. I was sad, yeah, but I knew that you had to go. But I also knew that my charm would make you come back." he gave me a goofy smile in hopes of cheering me up.

I could help but laugh at that. That's when his expression changed. his eyes were suddenly radiating heat and something else. Slowly, he dipped his head towards me until our lips touched ever so slightly. Passion filled me and I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. He may have been a turtle, but damn! he could kiss!

When he finally broke apart, I stared up at him. "I guess this changes things, huh?"

"Yeah, it does." He smiled warmly at me.

"I'm a little scared though."

"Of what, my sweetie-pie?" he said, then proceeded to kiss my nose. Which was incurabley cute I had to admit.

"Of losing our friendship if things don't work out." I snuggled closer to him again.

He gave me a gentle squeeze. "Gotta have faith, darlin'" he said in his best texan drawl. I chuckled, but realized he was right.

"Okay, can do." I said and pulled him down for another kiss.


	4. Return to You chapter four

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad that lots of you are enjoying this story! :) much more stuff to come! keep on reading! :) and sorry about the wierd spacing on the last chapter...stupid copy and pasting on my comp doesn't like to work properly.

"L, is for the way you look at me..." I sang happily as I danced about my appartment. I was on proverbial cloud nine. Everything was perfect. I was living my dream and I had a wonderful boyfriend to share it all with. My heart soared as I thought of Mikey. He was everything I could have hoped for and alot more. Hence the giddiness and singing cheesy love songs. Oh, it was a good time.

Little did I know at that moment I was being watched. If I had, I would have been prepared. For the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by what I recognized as foot soldiers. I knew their outfits from ones that the boys put on their dummies while training.

"You will come with us." one of them said.

"What? Why?" I demanded, getting scared now.

"Because having you will lead them to us." he answered, as he walked menacingly towards me.

"I don't bloody well think so!" I said, and grabbed the closest thing to me that I could use as a weapon. Unfortunately for me, that object was a frying pan. Not exactly the most ideal thing to use but if it would help, then so be it.

I swung it at who I could while they tried to get at me from every angle. I felt it connect with one of them and a thud. It was a start. Unfortunately, I was dealing with professional fighters. In a flash, one of them knocked my weapon out of my hands and whacked me with it. blackness filled my eyes and I knew no more.

When I woke, I groaned. My face hurt like a sonofabitch. One of my eyes refused to open and I immediately knew that it was swollen shut. Great. I was also tied up. I could feel the rope rubbing against my skin while I tried to move my hands.

"It's no use." a deep, clearly japanese voice said. I looked up and with my one eye I took in the sight of the man before me. A cold chill of dread filled when I realized it was The Shredder. Now I was REALLY in trouble.

"Shredder!" I gasped.

He chuckled coldheartedly. "Ah, smart girl you are." he walked towards me and touched my cheek with one of the pointed blades on his forearm armour that stuck out from his wrist and extended past his hands by a good foot. With a growl, he struck it across my face, cutting my flesh. I flinched at the pain, but refused to cry out. There was no way he would get that sadistic pleasure from me.

"That," he whispered in my ear, "Was only the beginning."

The unspoken threat hung in the air for a long moment making me dread even more what he had planned for me.

"I know of your association with the turtles." he announced. "And now, it will be your and their downfall!"

Suddenly, one of the foot soldiers entered the room with something large in his hands. It was wrapped in a blanket. I watched as they carried it towards me and laid it next to me. Shredder, with a look of pure evil in his eyes, lifted the blanket off the object. It was a chest. But what was in it? I prayed with all my might that the boys would learn I was gone and would come running or whatever was in the box would surely make me meet my demise.

'Oh God, Mikey...please find me!' my mind screamed out as though there was some way he could hear me.

I heard the creaking of hinges and realized they had opened the chest. Inside, was a book along with several small decorative bottles. I tried to read the title of the book, but it was in japanese. I felt like crying again, but I wouldn't let my fear get the better of me. If I was going to survive, I had to be strong.

Shredder picked up the book and studied me for a moment. "I would assume that you want to know what this is for?" He said, gesturing at the book.

I merely nodded, too scared to speak.

"This is for summoning an ancient and powerful evil that will destroy anyone or anything it's master wishes. the bottles contain the ingredients for the spell. But most important of all, it needs a human vessel to survive." he said, looking pointedly at me.

"And since you are a friend of my enemy, you were naturally the perfect choice."

My eyes went wide. I was going to play host to something that would in turn harm my friends and my boyfriend! I struggled with renewed vigour. Shredder only laughed and motioned for his minions to begin the spell.

meanwhile...

The four turtles were sitting in the living room while Mikey paced. In his hands was a letter. A letter informing him that Shredder had his girlfriend captive. It was the last line that haunted him the most.

"By the time you read this, the spell with be already underway..there is no way to save her or yourselves."

Filled with a rage he had never felt in his life, he grabbed his chucks from his room, stuffed them in his belt, and left. His brothers followed suit, grabbing their own weapons.

"Let's kick some ass." he growled. If it was any other day, they would have fainted at that. Mikey never used language like that. But since the woman he cared about was in danger, they let it slide.

They reached the warehouse where shredder had said they were. Foot soldiers lined the outside and were even on the roof.

"Shit!" Raph growled, breaking the tense silence. "They're everywhere!"

"Thank you Captain Obvious!" Donny said.

"Well, we've gotta go now!" Mikey shouted to his brothers and they proceeded to attack the foot soldiers outside. Once enough of them were out of the way, Mikey made his way stealthily of course, inside.

This was it, I thought sorrowfully while Shredder sprinkled the last of the ingredients around me, I was going to die. Tears spilled down my face.

'And you won't even get to tell him,' a small voice inside me said, 'that you love him.' my body was now wracked with sobs. Why? Why did I have to realize now? just when everything was falling apart?

"Oh, Mikey...I'm sorry..."

"Sorry about what, babe?" my eyes flew open. "Mikey!"

"Shh! you have to be quiet for me. otherwise, they will know I'm here." I obeyed instantly. Mikey was here! The boys made it! While my hero worked on my ropes, the warehouse began to shake. Thunder sounded from outside. Oh, great! it was underway!

The next thing I knew, I saw a huge two-toed foot kick Shredder in the back of the head, knocking the book out of his hands.

"That's it for you, Shred head!" Raph said, twirling his sai menacingly.

"Way to go, Raph!" I shouted. He smiled and bowed before proceeding to the kick the butts of some foot soldiers.

When I was free, Mikey scooped me up in his arms and we ran to get outside. Unfortunately for us, the fighting was testing the wear and tear of the building. It began to quake and fall apart. Any moment now, it would collapse taking us with it if we didn't move fast enough.

"My spell is ruined!" I could hear Shredder shout. "You will pay!"

Once we were outside, Mikey set me down and I threw myself into his arms. "Oh thank god!" I said and hugged him fiercely.

"I'm glad you're okay, babe. But I gotta go finish the job." he said, and took off back into the warehouse.

"For god's sake, be carefull!" I shouted after him.

I listened and watched as metal hit metal and foot soldiers were tossed left and right. Mikey, as I noticed, was in the thick of it, tangling with Shredder on the roof! I watched in horror as they took deadly swings at each other. Only one was going to come out of that fight alive. To make matters worse, the warehouse was shifting precariously. Just then, the roof caved in. Mikey flipped off the roof and landed with a tumble to the ground. Shredder wasn't so lucky. He fell right through the roof. Dust filled the air as the rest of the building fell down with a loud crash.

As it cleared, I saw the four of them walking slowly towards me. Mikey, however, broke into a run. I stood and ran into his arms. We kissed each other hungerily.

we ignored the sounds of his brothers groaned and muttering things about us needing to get a room and just enjoyed the moment.

In the rubble behind us, we didn't notice a dusty and very bloody but alive Shredder come out of the debris. He limped over to where a vehicle was hidden under the now destroyed building. Climbing in, he managed to start it. This we all noticed.

"Shit!" Raph said and we all ran for all we were worth. I felt the car gaining on me. I ran with renewed vigor. But, it wasn't enough. I heard the engine revving and then the next thing I knew, I felt it collide with my body...and then nothing...

scary music

what is going to happen to her?? hehe..don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging too long..I know what it's like to have that happen and it's torture! so, I shall not inflict that upon you guys! :)


	5. Return to You chapter five

AUTHOR'S NTOE: eek! sorry about the delay..I know I said that I would leave ya hangin, but I kinda did didn't I? I appologize profusely! at leat it wasn't on purpose! completely do to my life being busy at the worst times. again, I appologize! enjoy!

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: gonna be some switching in P.O.V. this chapter just for the fun of it. enjoy!

six months later

I awoke slowly, only to be blinded by brilliant white lights. I squinted at them then turned my head to look around. I was in a hospital! How in the high hell did I get in here? I hadn't the faintest idea. All I knew was that my head hurt slightly and I felt very much rested for some odd reason. How long had I been here?

When I had laid there for a moment and my brain had had a chance to focus a little, I noticed that I was strapped to several machines that beeped, whirred, and checked my heartrate. I even had IVs in each arm.

"Ah, you're awake finally. How do you feel?" I turned to the doctor who had spoken to me.

"Okay." I croaked, my throat was insanely dry. "I-I could use some water." He nodded and grabbed me a glass. Carefully, he titled the glass to my lips so I could drink it. That's when I noticed the flowers next to my bed.

"Who are those from?" I asked

"Not sure. You can check the card." He picked it up and held it in front of me so I could read it.

_I hope you get better soon, I miss you lots!_

_-Mikey_

Mikey? Who the hell was Mikey? Then again, who the hell was I?

"Hmm...I don't remember any Mikey." I said softly.

"Possible amnesia." the doctor muttered and jotted it down on some paper.

"Possible?" I questioned, hearing his words.

"Well, we have to run some tests to be sure. procedure, you know. Now, you just rest and regain some strength. are you hungry by any chance?"

I thought about his question for a moment, then shook my head.

"Alright. I'll bring in another doctor to come and ask you some questions." he said, then left.

And so I laid there, stewing. I had just lost my entire memory! How was I ever going to get it back or would it be gone forever? For the life of me, I wished I had the answers, but I didn't. Tears pricked my eyes.

Not long afterwards, another doctor who indentified himself as doctor Carter came in and asked me some questions. I have him the answers he needed, nothing more. I didn't want to be around anybody at the moment. I just wanted to be alone. Soon, much to my relief, he left the room.

How in the hell was I going to retrieve these memories? A therapist maybe? That was the one thing I had actually paid attention to when the doctor had been in the room, his suggestion for therapy. Well, if that's what I needed to get rid of this lost feeling, so be it.

That described it exactly...lost. and lonely. at that thought, tears poured down my face.

Mikey's POV

I sat on my bed, wondering as I had for the last six months, is she going to wake up? Raph, the creep, had told me that it wasn't likely at this point and that I should start letting her go. I told him that would totally never happen. Raph merely

grunted and left the room. I really wish he didn't have such a bad way of looking at things all the time. I could use his support in this. I had Donny, Leo, and Splinter though. It was a start.

My heart ached. Would I see her smile again? laugh? cry? Would I ever be able to hold her in my arms and kiss her again? I hoped with all my might that the answer would be yes. That impulse to see her sprung in me as it did everyday. I already knew how to get up to her hospital room without being seen and stay that way. Standing, I crept out of the lair and headed off.

When I got there, I peered into her window as I normally do. To my shock, I saw her sitting up! She was awake! Joy filled my heart to the brim. A smile spread across my face as I thought of reuniting with her. It would be wonderful! Later, I decided, when the doctor left, I would slip in and say hello.

I stared straight ahead thinking about my discharge the next day. Would I survive with these lost memories? The doctor had told me that they would make sure that I was taken care of despite my condition. I felt like child in a grocery store feeling helpless because they can't find their mother or father. I sighed and decided that I would tough it out as best I could.

That's when I heard my hospital room window slip open. I whirled my head around and saw a huge figure coming into my room. Since it was pitch black in my room and nearly that outside, all I could see was a shadow. I laid down as quietly as I could and stayed still, hoping the person, whoever they were, wouldn't notice me. I heard the figure walk towards me and stop next to my bed.

Crap! Crap! Crap! I thought, fearfully.

"Hey, you." a male voice with a surfer-style accent said, "It's me, Mikey!" The voice was filled with a tenderness that for some reason stole my fear away. I thought about his name for a moment. He was the one who brought me the flowers! That meant that he knew me. Whoever the bloody hell I was.

"Um..hello." I said after a long moment.

"Hey...what's the matter, babe? aren't ya happy to see me?" he sounded crestfallen at my lack of enthusiasum.

"Uh...a little hard to be when I have no idea who you are...thanks for the flowers though."

I heard the figure take a sharp intake of breath. "Y-you don't know who I am?"

I shook my head. "Amnesia." I said simply. "Don't feel bad," I said, feeling a need to reassure, "I don't even know who I am."

"You're Christine...my girl." he said quietly.

I sat stunned, unable to think of anything to say. "Y-Your what?"

"My girl." he repeated.

I glanced at the man in the darkness, skeptical of what he just told me. After all, he had just crept into my room at night. That didn't give his honesty alot of merit at the moment.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" I asked finally.

Before he could answer, moonlight filled the room and I got the first real glimpse of the person whom I had been talking to. I screamed in horror at what I saw. It turned out he appeared to be a huge...turtle?!

"Now, Christine, it's okay-"

"Aaah! get away! FOR GOD'S SAKE GET AWAY!!!!" I screamed loudly enough for a doctor to hear, for one came rushing into the room.

"Are you okay, miss?"

I looked around before answering him and noticed that the huge whatever the hell it was was gone now.

"Y-yes. I-I j-just saw a shadow and got frightened...sorry to bother you." I lied. I knew for a fact that if I told him the truth, he'd send me to the psych ward, labeling me offically out of my mind.

The doctor looked at me for a moment. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, laid back down and put the covers over me once again. The doctor left the room. I spared one glance at the window, reassuring myself that the figure was gone, and bid myself to sleep.


	6. Return to You chapter six

**AUTHOR'S NOTE AND SHOUTOUTS:** A nice, sentimental chapter. I hadn't actually started out writing it that way, but that's the way it went. I loved it so much I kept it all. I hope you all love it too. Again, I will be switching P.O.V's on this story.

**WARNING:** some language in this chapter thanks to Raph!

**S.H.M.J.: **I have to say I always get a good chuckle out of reading your reviews. very humorous! keep them coming. hehe.

Mikey's P.O.V.

I trudged back to the lair, feeling heartbroken. She had totally forgotten me! Amnesia was the culprit. I frowned. I knew nothing about the disease except it took all your memories. How long would it last? what if it lasted forever? I felt tears sting my eyes at that thought. God, I would die.

I sniffled as I entered the living room. Raph, as per usual, was watching late night cartoons. I heard snoring. Well, was watching.

It was just as well I totally didn't want to fight with him now. I was tired and sad and wished to be alone.

"Michelangelo." I nearly jumped at the sound of Splinter's voice.

"Yes, sensei?" I said quietly as not to wake the sleeping hot-headed turtle.

"Come with me." I followed the rat into his small bedroom, which was currently filled with the scent of lavendar incense.

Once we were inside, and the door was closed, he spoke.

"Where have you been, my son?"

"I went to visit her, sensei." I stiffened, waiting for him to scold me.

"I see." He didn't seem angry, which was puzzling to me. I had thought for sure he would be. "Is she awake yet?"

I nodded. "Yes, but she screamed when she saw me...she-she didn't know who I was..." Tears pricked my eyes again and freely rolled down my cheeks.

Splinter's boney hand reached out and touched my shoulder. "Amnesia?" again, I nodded.

"Give her time. That is the best thing you can do, my son. Let her be for a time. I am sure that she shall remember you and come looking for you. In the meantime, I, and your brothers shall support you and help you. For that is what a family does."

I knew sensei was right, but I knew that it would be hard. After all, I admitted to myself, I was in love with her. And love was patient, right?

Raph's P.O.V.

I watched my bro mope around the house like somebody had taken a stinkin' net and stolen his soul. This was sick! It had been going on for months and I was fucking sick of it. When would he learn to move on? I shook my head. Knowing Mikey, he might never. Once he cared about somebody, that was it. He cared about you whether you liked it or not.

I had been sleeping moments ago, but my ninja alertness told me someone was in the same room as I and I was once again awake. I opened one eye to see Mikey walking towards the dojo. He still looked unhappy, but slightly better than before. The temptation to ask him why was strong. But, unfortunately, thanks to us not being on exactly good terms, I couldn't.

The lecture he had given me about saying what I did to Christine was still fresh in my mind.

_"Raph, her going back didn't crush me as much as you think. I knew she had to, bro. After all, she was on vacation!"_

_"You still moped around. It killed me to know she'd done it to you."_

_"Raph, you need to stop being such an ass! The Big Dude Upstairs will grant you love one day, you know."_

_"I'm not fucking jealous of you!"_

_"Right..."_

I growled at the memory. I hated that Mikey had read me so easily. Yeah, I was jealous. He had found someone to love him. Who's to say that would happen to me, let alone the rest of us? We were a fuckin' bunch of freaks of nature! Mikey had that one in a million miracle happen to him. It just wasn't fair.

I sighed and got up off the couch and headed into my room. I wasn't going to have a comfortable sleep if I stayed there.

Mikey's P.O.V.

I stared at the dummy in front of me, swirling my chucks. It was funny, I thought, that I would be in here practicing without Leo or Donny nagging me to. I smiled despite my current mood and landed some basic kicks on the dummy, then some tougher ones, and went from there. By the time I was done, It was so beat up that if one laid their finger on it, it would turn into a heap of straw on and fabric.

As I went through our normal practice routines, I didn't notice Leo come in.

"You're actually practicing, I'm impressed bro." he said, grinning.

I sent him a half-hearted smile. "Yeah." I sighed for a moment, compelled to open up to him. He was always the most understanding of my brothers when it came to our emotional problems. Had little tolerance for Raph though, but we all knew that was because they had been at odds since they had fully mutated and learned to talk.

"She woke up today, Leo." I said simply.

Leo smiled. "Really? how is she?" he asked, eager to know.

Pain squeezed my heart. "She doesn't remember me. She has...uh...I think sensei called it 'Amnesia.' "

Sympathy filled Leo's features. "Awh man, I'm sorry." he said and hugged me. I hugged him back, feeling slightly better.

When he released me, I sighed. "I'm totally gratefull for your and Donny's support, by the way. Just thought I should let ya know."

"That's what family is for, Mikey." I gave him a look that told him I understood.

"Man," Leo said as he unsheathed his katanas to polish them, "You've really grown up alot, you know."

I nearly dropped my chucks upon hearing his comment. "What?"

"You've grown up." he repeated. "You're becoming an adult, Mikey. Mind-blowing isn't it?" he teased, turning his katana. The light shone off the blade's deadly edge.

I couldn't help but grin at that. "I guess so." I tucked my chucks into my belt. "I am coming to understand alot of stuff I didn't before."

"Exactly my point." my blue bandana wearing brother said. As I left the dojo, I realized that for the first time in months, I felt as though I was going to survive this struggle. Thank God for those guys, I thought.

Leo's P.O.V.

I smiled as Mikey left the dojo. I was so proud of him I thought I would burst. He had been through alot. Wondering and waiting for the woman he loved to wake up and now she hadn't a clue who he was thanks to Amnesia. And yet, here he was still himself and growing up nicely.

I wasn't sure if I could be that strong if I had been dealt the same hand. Mikey had what the rest of lacked. Unquestioned faith. He always believed things would work out one way or another. I was eternally gratefull he was part of our team and my brother. He keeps us sane, I realized. not only with his faith, but his easy humour and kindness.

I thought back to the time I had been practicing a particularly hard move with my katanas and I couldn't seem to get it. I was frustrated and ready to give up. Donny and Raph had been teasing me about it never going to be able to penetrate my thick head. I had been hurt and angry and had stormed to my room.

From my room, I had heard Mikey stick up for me and tell them to leave me alone. After that, he had promptly marched into my room, grabbed me by my bandana and dragged me into the dojo.

_"You're going to get this if it kills me! You can do it!"_

_"No...it's too hard, Mikey. It's okay."_

_"Oooh no! don't take that attitude with me, dude!"_

His frown had been so comical, I had to laugh at him. He'd merely grinned, happy he had that reaction. And from there, he had helped me out and eventually I did end up getting it. Now, it was my signature move. Since then, whenever I started to doubt myself, he would give me that frown and I would remember.

Now, it was my turn to help him through this. I was more than happy to. I knew the two of them would be back together and happy again. Call it Mikey Faith. I grinned at that. With that on my side, I couldn't lose.

I stared out the window of my hospital room. I wanted so much to leave here, but I had to stay for a barrage of tests to see how much trauma had been sustained to my brain. So much for a next day discharge, I thought bitterly. I had already been through a few, but I guessed they were fussy about it all. I wasn't feeling any pain or anything at the moment so I figured that had to mean it wasn't too bad.

Thoughts of my mysterious intruder popped back into my head as they had off and on for a while now. How in the hell could a huge turtle exist like that? Or maybe I was imagining it. I was on rather alot of pain killers at the moment. And most importantly, why was I dwelling on it? Perhaps because there was this nagging voice inside me saying that I knew him. From somewhere. somehow.

I sighed. Maybe a nap was in order. And with that, I crawled back into bed. But when I slept, I drempt. Visions of a long, deadly blade cutting my cheek, dust, cracking wood, running, panic, fighting left and right, blurs of green, blue, orange, red and purple all raced through my mind.

What the HELL did it all mean?!

I sprang awake. "Now that was an oddball dream." I said to myself, putting it lightly. It had shaken me to the core. I had a feeling they were memories try to come back, but couldn't just yet. I hoped to God that I could figure it all out soon. I found a sketchpad near my bed and attempted to draw what I had seen in my dream. I watched as my pencil flew across the paper. It was clear that I had some artistic skill. Well, that told me something about me. I was an artist on some level.

I noticed that if I stared at the drawing long enough, I could make out two figures. As to who they were, I didn't know. Great. Yet another mystery for me. I felt instantly weary and sad. Man, this loss of memory was depressing.

"One small puzzle piece." I thought and kept staring at the drawing, hoping something else would pop into my brain. Nothing did. frustrated, I set the pad down and tried to get back to sleep. After all, I had therapy tomorrow.


	7. Return to You chapter seven

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I might change the rating of this story to R if it progresses how I am thinking it might. Just to give you guys a heads up.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: means end of that person and or turtle's P.O.V.

I sat outside a small office, waiting. Today was my first therapy session. I was frightened and wished with all my might that someone could be here with me. Hell, at this point, I'd take Creepy Turtle Guy. I wondered again if I should tell my therapist about him.

'No! she'll think you're a nutball!' my brain nagged. 'don't forget that!' Ha. Fat chance of that. I sighed as my name was called.

"Doctor Jennifer Ryan will see you now." the receptionist said.

I nodded and followed her in. I looked at the woman whom I was to spill my guts to. She looked friendly enough. Despite her height, I pinned her at 6 feet at least, she clearly dwarfed me and my meager five foot five inches, her eyes had a warmness to them. Her long, brown hair was drawn back in a sharp ponytail and her suit was a light cream colour, which, I didn't know how, made her seem taller.

she gestured at a long, leather lounger.

"Lie down there and we'll get started, Christine." I nodded, and laid down.

Over the next hour, I told her where I stood memory-wise. I did leave out my mystery guest.

"Ah," she said after a moment, "We've got a long way to go with you. But you needn't worry. With extensive therapy, we hopefully can make some progress."

It was a shallow reassurance. But that was because she simply couldn't predict the future or how I'd take to the therapy, but at least she was honest about it. I sighed. I was in for a long ride.

As if she knew what I was thinking, she said, "My sister, Sandra, suffered from partial anmesia and so did her husband, Jake. With this program, they both got their full memories back." She gestured at a picture on her desk. Her sister looked exactly the same as she did. Twins, I thought.

"Thanks, that gives me some confidence." I said. It was true. I only hoped it would work for me the same way.

She smiled. "You're welcome. See you next week."

I nodded and left the room, feeling only slightly better than I did. I decided that I needed to go for a walk. The doctors had informed me that there was a small park next to the hospital that patients were free to use if they so needed. I definately needed to. I carefully bundled up in a sweater and a pair of jeans that my bedmate's family had brought her but she didn't like and gave to me. I was grateful. It meant I could be rid of that horrible hospital nightgown for a while.

I walked outside, carrying a hot coffee that my nurse had insisted on giving me before I left. It was a gorgeous day though the air was crisp with fall coldness. The sun shone warmly down on me, keeping me from feeling it too much. As I walked, I inspected the park. I was small, but very peaceful. There was a small pond with several ducks in it and a long trail to walk down if one so desired.

I headed down the trail, singing to myself. I stopped for a moment. So, I had a nice voice too.

"Man, I sound conceited." I said aloud, then chuckled. Well, in my current situation I decided it was allowed. With that, I kept on singing. What song it was, I didn't know, I just sang it.

_My life will never be the same  
Cause girl you came and changed  
The way I walk, the way I talk  
Now I cannot explain  
These things I feel for you  
But girl you know it's true  
So stay with me, fulfill my dreams  
I'll be all you needOoh it feels so right  
I've searched for the perfect love all my life  
Ooh it feels like  
I have finally found a perfect love this time  
  
Chorus:  
You rocked my world, you know you did  
And everything I own I give  
The rarest love, who'd think I'd find  
Someone like you to call mine  
You rocked my world, you know you did  
And everything I own I give  
The rarest love, who'd think I'd find  
Someone like you to call mine  
  
In time, I knew that love would bring  
Such happiness to me  
I tried to keep my sanity  
I've waited patiently  
And girl you know it seems  
My life is so complete  
A love that's true, because of you  
Keep doing what you do  
Ooh it feels so right  
I've searched for the perfect love all my life  
Ooh who'd think I'd find  
Such a perfect love that's awesomely so right _

_chorus X2_

_And girl, I know that this is love  
I feel the magic all in the air  
And girl, I'll never get enough  
That's why I always have to have you here _

_chorus X4_

Little did I know, there was a oranged-masked turtle watching me, a lonely and heartbroken expression on his face.

Mikey's P.O.V.

I watched the only woman I had ever loved walk down the lonely path, singing. She looked as lovely as ever, the wind catching her blonde hair making it shine in the sun. God, I missed her. I hoped with all my might she would remember me and come running to me. I wanted to finally tell her I loved her. It had been burning me up inside for months now.

From her expression, I could tell she was troubled. Poor thing, with the memory loss. She probably felt pretty alone in the world right now. I wished to god that I could help her out. Just then, I noticed a couple hiking in my direction. I turned to flee, but my orange bandana got stuck on a branch. I tugged furiously at it, desparate to get away. With one great yank, my bandana came free from my face and I ran like I had the hounds of hell on my heals.

Thanks to my ninja training and speed, I was able to get into the sewers and out of sight before they noticed anything. I sighed with relief and ran back to the lair.

As I walked, something flapping in the breeze caught my eye. I walked up to it. It was an orange...I untangled it from the branch it was stuck on and studied it...bandana. Now that was odd. Who would wear one of these? That's when I noticed it was the same colour orange as I saw in my dream, which was still vivid in my mind. Was that a coincidence or something more?

It looked to be made for someone who had a much larger head than the average human being. The eyeholes in the mask were also too far apart and too big to be made for a man aswell. Was it part of a costume? I thought about what month it was. September. Nope, not Halloween for another month so that ruled that possiblity out. This was getting more puzzling by the second.

Would whoever this belonged to return for it? For some reason, I was curious about who would fit this thing. Impulsively, and before I could change my mind, I wrote a note and left it in the spot where I had found it.

_Hello, mysterious bandana wearer,_

_I found your mask and was wondering if you would like it back. If you do, I'll be here with it again tomorrow night. _

_meet me here at 8:00. _

I turned and walked back to my hospital room, anxious for tomorrow to come.

Mikey's P.O.V.

When I walked back into the lair, the questions as I had feared, started.

"How is she? you went to see her, didn't ya?" Raph asked.

"it's chilly out! didn't ya freeze?" asked Donny.

"where's your bandana?" asked Leo.

I sighed and answered them in turn. "She looks lonely and lost and yes I saw her, and no I didn't freeze. I remembered my sweater. Lastly, I lost it running back to the lair."

Leo shook his head. "You do realize you'll have to and get it back."

I sighed heavily. "Yes, Leo, I know."

"Donny and I will come with you." Leo stated and grabbed a pair of his katanas and put them in his belt. Donny did the same with his boes.

I didn't bother to argue with Leo. I knew that once he got an idea in his head, it stayed there. He was a stubborn guy, but thankfully, a kind one. We headed out back outside. This time, it was alot darker than it had been so we were better hidden. As we approached the area I had lost it, I noticed that it wasn't hanging on the branch anymore. A piece of paper was in it's place. I plucked it off the branch and noticed there was writing on it.

I read it out loud. "holy crap! she wants to see me!"

Donny grinned. "good job, loverboy."

I poked my purple bandana-wearing brother. "Oh screw off, Donny."

"It would discuss this with Splinter first." Leo advised.

I grumbled, knowing he was right. I hated it when that happened. It was totally annoying. I stuffed the note in the pocket of my trenchcoat and we all walked back to the sewers and to the lair. Once we got there, I made a beeline for Splinter's room. I knocked.

"You may enter." I heard the rats's gruff voice say.

I entered the room. It smelled of sandalwood this time. Splinter was sitting crosslegged, obviously in the middle of meditation.

"Sensei." I said, and bowed.

"What brings you to see me, Michelangelo?"

I explained about how I had lost my bandana and about the letter. I handed it to Splinter. He set his reading glasses on the end of his furry nose and read it.

"What should I do, sensei?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

Splinter folded the letter back up and handed it to me. "I think," he said, removing his glasses, "That if you are to see her, you must be carefull. Her seeing what you are will shock her immensely. Stay hidden as much as you can, my son."

I nodded in understanding. "Thank you, sensei." I said and left the room. I heard him mumble 'good luck.' and I smiled.

8:00pm my watch read as I sat down on a bench in the park. I looked around for a moment to see if the mystery person I saught was here. I made sure the bandana was in plain view so they knew to look for me. It was a full minute before I heard a voice.

"Hey...I got your letter." I jumped a mile. I recognized that accent! It was Creepy Turtle Guy! So it was HIS bandana I had! oh just my luck! I was tempted to bolt, but I wouldn't let him know I was afraid. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I did, however, quake a little.

"Good." I said as calmy as I could. "Here's your bandana back." I extended my hand with the orange material dangling off the edge of my finger.

He reached out a hand which I noticed, though cloked in darkness, was huge and had three fingers! If that wasn't weird enough, when our fingers brushed, I felt a jolt and my body went warm. What the bloody hell was going on?! did I just have lusty feelings for a...TURTLE?! I must have hit my head pretty damn hard for that to happen.

I noticed that he had felt it too. Oh lovely. It was mutual. I hoped to god my head healed quick!

Before I could move to retreat, his hand had cupped my cheek. The warmth of his hand felt a little too nice for comfort but I couldn't seem to move away. In an act of what I knew was shear stupidity, I took a step closer to him.

_This feels so familiar..._

"Does it?" he asked, sounding hopefull. Did I say that out loud? well, crap.

"Yeah." I admitted, feeling no need to deny it. "I wish I knew why."

We stared into each other's eyes for god knows how long. His were a deep brown and were filled with so much emotion at the moment, he seemed almost human. My heart lurched. Why did I feel safe with him just now? Why did I get the feeling that I never wanted to move from where I stood right now?

That's when I felt his mouth a hairbreadth from mine.


	8. Return to You chapter eight

AUTHOR'S NOTE: thanks to all that reviewed so far. Still much to go, but I wanted to say that anyway! oh yeah, and sorry about the much confusion with my POV changes. will do better there. This, I know, took a long time to put up but I was away for a while in B.C. I am back now and here it is!

_oh dear god... _were the first words to pop into my head. My rational mind was telling me to back away. It was telling me one did NOT kiss men one didn't know...or turtles. On the other hand, my body was telling me something totally different. It was shouting 'go for it! go for it!' Despite that, I was nervous of what he was making me feel.

"Erm..uh..." I took a step back. "This is kinda...unnerving..."

He mumbled an appology. "I-I never meant to make ya uncomfortable."

"I-it's okay...I-I just...I-I don't know you and I...well..."

There was a long silence. I took a deep breath. How was I going to describe what I felt to him? "I-I think I have lost my marbles."

"Why is that?"

"Because I-I wanted to...but you're a..."

He sighed. "A turtle?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. B-But part of me doesn't care. It's just scary is all."

He smiled. "It's okay. I getcha. I would be totally freaked out if I were you too."

_dammit! _I thought, _stop smiling! it's disarming! Making me want things that scare me to death...like your kiss..._

"I'm glad you understand." I said after a long moment of silence. "So...uh...what's your name? I-it's the one on the card...that I got with the flowers...Mikey is it?"

"That's right." he acknowledged.

I had no idea why I asked him the next question I did, but I was so intrigued with him I couldn't help myself. "W-what is that short for?"

"Michelangelo. Mikey is the nickname that my bros and sensei use." he said.

I frowned for a moment. Why did both of those names sound familiar all of a sudden? Why did I get the feeling that this turtle knew me somehow? and I knew him? I remembered him saying that my name was Christine that I was 'his girl.' Could it be true? could we have been an item before I most all my memory? From the attraction and the near kiss tonight, I was willing to say it was plausible. Either way, I had to know.

"Mikey," I said slowly, "I want to ask you a few things...is that okay?"

He nodded. "Ask away, babe." I blushed at the word, not having been called that. We began walking down the path leading to a more secluded area of the park. The moonlight shone down on us, letting us be able to see where we were going.

"For starters, I-I want to know...why do I feel as though I know you?"

He sighed heavily, a pained expression crossed his face. "We were best friends...then..."

I stared at him a long moment. "Then?" I pressed, needing to know something about my self so badly I could taste it.

"Then," he continued, "We...became more than that...we started going out." my heart nearly broke at the obvious longing in his voice.

"So, it was true what you said back in my room that night." I said, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah." he said simply, staring into my eyes.

It was alot to take in. I was once best friends then the girlfriend of the turtle standing before me and yet, he'd felt like a stranger at first. But now, things seemed different now that I knew the truth. I still didn't have a single memory of said relationship, but something in my mind and heart knew it was real and true as the nose on my face.

"I-I wish I could remember..." I said sadly. "But if it's any consolation, I've grown to like you. I feel comfortable with you...that's saying alot. I've been pretty wary of people lately."

I took his hand in mine, trying to offer him some comfort and to accenuate my statement. As luck would have it, the heat flared between us again. It seemed that even the most innocent touches would warm my body as nothing else could. He looked at me with heat and longing in his eyes. I took a step closer to him so that only an inch or two separated us.

"I oughta warn ya, babe. If ya come any closer, I'm not sure I can resist trying to kiss ya again."

I fearlessly moved closer. I needed so much to give into the need that was awakening in me. It was scary, but irresistable all the same. That was my last thought before I tilted my mouth up to meet his. Mikey tensed in shock at first, but slowly relaxed and began kissing me back. It was slow, sensual, and downright wonderful. For that space in time, I was able to forget that I felt lost and lonely in the world...

**six months later....**

I couldn't have been happier, really. I now had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who made my world so much easier to live in. I had also been introduced, well, according to Mikey, re-introduced to his brothers. But I didn't care about which way that went. They were all fascinating individuals. Even more amazing yet was their sensei, Splinter. He was a giant rat! A sweet, mild-mannered rat at that. Of course, I liked him instantly.

It was funny, I had a feeling I knew all of them too as Mikey had pointed out. It felt right to be among them. It was also encouraging to think that with these said feelings that my memories weren't completely out of my reach. I just needed time and they would return.

Ar the present time, however, Mikey and his brothers were sitting around their kitchen table gorging themselves on pizza. I had to laugh. They were just like any teenage human being in their actions. That sort of thing never ceased to amaze me. Mikey let out a belch when he finished eating. Leonardo whacked him gently and scolded him. I snickered.

Leo shook his head at Mikey and I. "You two are hopeless. With the way you are encouraging him..." he said looking at me.

Donny grinned. "And you wonder why she is his girlfriend..."

Raph rolled his eyes and huffed. I studied him for a moment. He was the only one that seemed to be a little reluctant to become friendly with me. I wonder what had happened beforehand that made him feel as though he had to act that way. I was definately going to have to talk to him later on.

**later that night... **

I gently rapped on Raph's door. I heard a grumbled "yes?" from inside.

"It's me." I said in a small voice, "Can we talk?"

"Door's open." Taking the hint, I opened it and walked inside. He was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. His room was filled with candles, giving it a soft glow almost comforting glow.

I sat down on a small wooden crate next his bed.

"What's on your mind?" Raph asked after a moment of silence. He regarded with a look that said he was annoyed with me and hoped this wouldn't take long.

"I-I have noticed that you haven't been particularly nice to me since I came down here and I want to know why. W-What did I do?"

Raph sighed. "It's a long story." He picked up his sai from a small table next to him and twirled them absentmindedly in his hands.

"Well, I have time." I said, standing my ground.

Raph glared at me, clearly not appreciating the fact that I wasn't giving up. Sighing, he spoke. "Well, before, you an' Mikey were best friends ya see. You met 'im while you were on vacation here. Then, you went back home and left him. For six years. Mikey missed ya like ya wouldn't believe. It tore me up to see him all like that. I guess I got kinda mad at ya for makin' him feel that way. When ya came back, more than friendship feelin's between you two started comin about. I was furious 'cause I was sure you'd leave Mikey heartbroken again. Of course, me tryin' to stop all that didn't work. It only made Mikey an' everyone else mad at me. Afterwards, the whole thing with you losin' your memory happened and that left Mikey hurtin' more. I wasn't happy about it and I'm still not. You've caused my bro alot of pain an' it don't sit with me well."

As I listened to Raphael speak, a tidal wave of emotions hit me. Among them were sadness, anger, and confusion.

"I-I had no idea..."

Raph sighed heavily. "Of course not. Ya lost yer memory."

That stung. Alot. Standing, I glared down at the bitter turtle. "I didn't ask for this to happen to me! If I could have stopped it, I would have...but here I am. I never meant to cause Mikey pain if that's what I did. I care a great deal about your brother. In fact I...I love him."

I was stunned by my own words. When had THAT happened? I had no idea...but I did know for certain it was true. I loved Mikey. It was crazy...in the short time I had been around him, I had lost my heart. I waited for Raph's reaction. What he said, I didn't expect.

"Good."

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"I said, 'Good.' "

"Yes, I-I heard that..but...why? after all you said..."

Raph sat up, looking me directly in the eyes. "Because he's in love with you, ya know. It's good to know that you at least feel the same way."

I didn't know what to say to his words. I just nodded and left his room, armed with new information and startling realization that I was in love with Mikey and he felt the same way.

I smiled. Things were finally looking up.


	9. Return to You chapter nine

AUTHOR'S NOTE: we are entering the homestretch for this story! Not to worry, this isn't the last chapter. I'm thinking there might be a couple more left to go...then after this, who knows? if you have any suggestions as to which turtle I should feature next in a story, let me know. thanks and enjoy this chapter!

AUTHOR'S NOTE PART 2: sorry this took so dang long to put up. I was caught in writer's block on this one. And I got an idea for another story and had to spend some time writing that one down. But, here it is finally.

_"Oh cool! nintendo!"_

_"awh, you beat me! and you're a girl!"_

_"I don't want to go home!"_

_"Stay with me..."_

I started awake. The words had flashed through my brain with surprising clarity in flashes, instances, and then were gone again. I took a deep breath. Who were those people speaking? why did I know them? Were these memories? or just a dream? I hadn't any clue. All I knew was that it startled the hell out of me. Taking a couple more deep breaths, I tried to relax my nerves and my mind. I laid back down on my pillow and tried to sleep again. When I did, I saw the faces of the people that had spoken.

It was a younger version of myself and Mikey. We were hugging furiously.

_"Stay with me..."_

_"I wanna, but I have to go back home...I promise I'll be back." _

_"Good 'cause I'll miss ya lots!"_

_"I'll miss you too, Mikey."_

The younger version of me walked away and faded into the darkness. It was true! Mikey and I were best friends! I had come to new york and everything...I was so elated when I woke up I didn't know what to do with myself. I ran out of my room to see if anyone was up. When I hit the living room, I saw the boys up, getting ready for practice.

They all took notice of me barreling towards them with a huge smile on my face.

"Man," Mikey said, grinning. "What got into you this morning?"

"Some of my memory came back last night!" I shouted, unable to keep it in.

Mikey's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's great, babe!"

I recounted what had returned to me last night. "I'm so happy I could dance around!" I said, laughing.

Mikey gave me a huge hug. "I'm proud of ya." he said, and ruffled my hair affectionately.

"Thank you." I said, then proceeded to kiss him silly. His brothers groaned, but we both ignored them.

Splinter cleared his throat. Mikey and I turned to look at him to see that he was grinning at us.

"It is time for practice, Michelangelo. You may, oh how do you boys put it? 'make out' later."

We both blushed, but chuckled. "Alright, sensei." Mikey said and entered the dojo. I followed suit to watch them practice. Good fortune, I decided, was smiling down on me today. I had a piece of my memory back! I couldn't help but smile again. I watched Mikey with new appreciation. With these memories, he became even more precious to me. It also made loving him feel more right than ever. That reminded me...I hadn't told said turtle that yet. I decided that tonight would be the best time. After all, we could be alone that way. During the day, there was just too much for them to do.

And so, I waited the day out helping them out where I could just to keep busy. I helped with wrapping up their hands and wrists for the punching bag, passing them necessary battle weapons, and what have you. But the thought of what the evening was going to bring never left my mind. When the time came, I motioned for Mikey to join me in the room Splinter had set up for me whilst I stayed with them.

"Yeah? Ya needed me?" he asked, closing the door behind me.

"Yes, indeed I do." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and gently kissing him. Mikey moaned and kissed me back.

"Mikey," I said softly, I came to a realization recently."

"Yeah? what was that?"

"I have fallen irreversably in love with you." A huge grin spread across Mikey's face. "Awh, babe..I-I love you too." He hugged me tight to him and our lips met again, passion raging. I smiled as he lowered me down onto the mattress of his bed...

**The next morning...**

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling lazy but sated. I grinned as I caught sight of Mikey, who was just waking up aswell.

"Good morning, sunshine." I said.

Mikey gave me a sleepy smile and ran his thumb down my cheek. "Good morning, babe." I snuggled closer to him and felt his arms envelope me.

I traced the shape of his plastron with my finger. "Last night was great by the way."

Mikey got that trademark smirk of his on his face. "Glad ya enjoyed it." He kissed me softly. "But, I must get up for practice." I groaned in protest and Mikey laughed.

"It's part of the ninja package." he said and kissed my forehead.

"Just hurry back." I purred.

"Will do!" he said, grinned, and left the room.

I laughed at his enthusiasm. He always seemed to have it in a neverending supply. I yawned and decided that I could use some breakfast. I carefully got up, making sure that his sheets were wrapped around my nude form securely. I found all my clothes and quickly dressed. Once I did, I walked down the hall and entered the kitchen.

Thankfully, being big eaters, the fridge they had always had a variety of food in it. There was sushi and other Japanese style foods for Splinter, and other less-than-healthy food for the turtles. But, being the sweethearts that they were, they managed to arrange a spot for me. It had a variety of fruits, veggies, and other goodies. I grabbed a pepperoni stick and nibbled on it. Yeah, not the greatest breakfast food but I loved them.

About an hour later, a huffing Donatello entered the kitchen. Sweat was shining off his entire body. Obviously Splinter had been working them hard this morning.

"You tuckered out there, Donny?"

"Yeah. Splinter was teaching us new moves this morning. They take alot of energy to do." He dabbed his head with a towel. He was joined shortly by the rest of his brothers. Mikey came over to me and laid his head on my shoulder.

"Gah! I'm tired!" I smiled and massaged the back of his neck. "Poor mikey." I cooed and laughed.

Mikey just grumbled and didn't move. As I kept massaging, he groaned. "Awh, babe, that feels so nice."

I grinned. "That's the idea."

The boys just grumbled at us as they normal did. I rolled my eyes and laughed at them. They were quite the amusing characters when they wanted to be and sometimes even when they didn't realize it, like at that moment. Mikey had now fully relaxed against my shoulder now.

"Feel better?" I whispered in his ear.

"Yes." Came the mumbled but very happy reply.

"Good." I said and just stood with him. Mikey put his arms around me, cradling me against him. I sighed happily and enjoyed it, as I always did.

Little did we know, Splinter and Raphael were watching us.

**Raph's POV**

Splinter smiled. "It is nice to see Michelangelo with her again."

I snorted, but for some weird reason, I agreed. In the beginning I'd been so jealous that Mikey had gotten what I'd been wishing for as long as I could remember: a woman to love me. But now, I realized, that it would be cruel to be mad at them for being in love. I should be gratefull that somebody had come along and had made him happy. In a way, Mikey had given us all hope. Hope that maybe that same could happen to us. So, all in all, I was gratefull to my brother. Crazy...me gratefull to Mikey. I had to grin at that.

_Man, I pick the wierdest time to have an epiphany. _I thought and shook my head.

Splinter must have noticed my thoughtfull look, for me poked me gently with his cane. "What are you thinking, my son?"

I explained my thoughts to him. "I hope she gets her memory back soon...I wanna be able to fix this with her."

Splinter smiled at me as though I had just handed him the Holy Grail. "I am so proud of you, Raphael. You have learned your lesson."

I felt a warming in my heart at his words. "Thanks, Sensei."

"It also shows," the rat went on, "that you are maturing. You were able to put aside your anger and see your mistake. Now, you will be the better for it because you are able to fix it."

A sense of pride went through me at that. "Thanks again, that means alot." I was getting choked up now. If he kept up, I would probably break down and cry.

"Who would have thought Michelangelo would give you a lesson in maturity?" Splinter joked.

I chuckled at that. "My thoughts exactly."


	10. Return to You chapter ten

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Well, ladies and gentlemen, yet another chapter! I'll try to make this one as long as I can since the last one was kinda short. Gah. Writer's block does that to me sometimes...it's frustrating. Oh well! it didn't stop me from writing this chapter though, so points in my favour! I know this first part strays from my first person point of vew that I've used throughout this story, but that's the way I wished to write it. read and enjoy! oh yeah..pardon my spelling on the boy's fighting style...if I got it wrong, I am profusely sorry. my spelling sucks.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE PART TWO:** I'll do better to drag out the shredder parts so that it doesn't seem so rushed this time. And lastly, I'm so sorry this took so long to put up, but renovations on the house made that impossible as I had to disconnect my computer until all the work was done. ugh.

**AUTHOR'S SHOUT-OUTS:**

**S.H.M.J.:** yes! I would love to read and be a part of your story.

_**abandoned building, The Bronx, evening**_

Several men were running around, gathering odd objects and placing them at the feet of a mysterious figure who was cloked in the darkness. Well, until some of them came in carrying candles of varying size, shape, and colour. As the light poured into the room, the unmistakable face of The Shredder came into view.

"We shall not fail this time." he said to one minion who was carrying in a tray of sushi. The man nodded, not daring to disagree with his master.

"The first plan," he went on, "was far too rash and needed more time to think through. In my rage, I did not care. Not so this time. While I was in the hospital recovering from what those blasted reptiles did to me, this new plan came to me. I thought it through from every angle." He smiled, supremely proud of himself. "They will NOT succeed in saving her this time."

Shredder glanced at the all the materials his minions had brought him. There were vials of special mixtures, animal blood, several amphibian and reptile parts, boxes with crystals, sand, and other mystical powders. Several spellbooks were stacked up aswell. Some were meant to enhance the spell's power, others were for far darker purposes that Shredder couldn't wait to discover. Almost everything was there. Soon, he would be ready to start.

The only thing that discouraged him was that girl and the turtle were once again together, as his spies had told him. Her amnesia was slowly fading. He had hoped that his enemies would suffer for much longer. But now, he decided, it was no matter. He would win either way.

The Shredder picked up a spellbook that sat on his desk. "This second time," he said, flipping to the all-familiar spell, "You will not be so lucky, young lady." And with that, he laughed coldly.

Despite the sinister air around Shredder's lair, the sewers were as merry as ever. I was doing well in the memory department. Mikey and I's friendship and romance were all now fully formed in my mind. What a freeing experience it was to have all the pieces to my life. Never, I decided, was I ever going to take any day for granted again. I was going to live each the fullest. I was going to write down every memory I had with all my friends and family and especially Michelangelo.

I wanted to remember everything we did together, talked about, the whole works. Never was I going to forget again. I was sick of that and was eager to leave that chapter of my life behind. So each night I wrote in a journal splinter had so graciously given me all my memories. Man, I loved that rat like a father. Every void that had formed since my accident was gone now. I was once again a whole person. And it was great.

The only thing that still remained fuzzy was how I had lost my memory in the first place. Just as well, I thought. I didn't want to remember that anyway.

It was the sound of the stove timer that broke me out of my thoughts. I had a homemade pizza baking in there for everyone. I walked to the stove with what I was sure was a goofy grin on my face, and pulled out the pizza. It looked and smelled wonderfull. The cheese and pepporni were cooked to perfection, I noted. Feeling even happier at my success, I grabbed the slicer and cut enough pieces for all the turtles and Splinter and I aswell.

"Man, you're lookin happy as a clam, girl." Raphael commented upon seeing me.

I nodded. "I am. I can't tell you how nice it is that I have every memory back. It's like getting a hundred gifts at Christmas or something."

Raph chuckled. "Yeah, I bet."

The sounds of several other pairs of feet were heard entering the kitchen.

"Hey guys! food's ready!" I announced upon seeing them.

Mikey let out a whoop for joy and quickly grabbed a slice. The others, though hungry, managed to get theirs in a much more dignified manner. I just laughed and grabbed one for myself. In no time flat the pizza was consumed and the boys were ready to engage in some evening training. I watched all but one of them leave to retrieve their equipment.

It was Raphael who had stopped, then turned around and faced me. "We gotta chat, kiddo." he said.

Curious as to what this was about, I let him lead me just outside the lair.

"Listen, somethin's been eatin' me up since you got knocked on your noodle there." Raph pointed at my head.

"What is it?"

"Well, I'm sorry for being such an ass and bustin' your chops for goin' back home. It's just that Mikey was always mopin' around, looking miserable for _six long years_. I jus' couldn't take seein' my bro in so much pain so I swore that I wouldn't let 'im get hurt again. And when ya got back, well, ya know...I hope ya can forgive me."

I smiled at Raph and tenderly touched his cheek. I could only imagine how much of his pride and anger he'd had to stomp on to say what he just did. The weight and importance of his appology were felt by both of us.

"Thanks, Raphael. And I forgive you. I wish, though, that I had been able to come back sooner but my funds and of course school didn't allow me that luxury. Sure, my parents are rich and could have easily afforded it but there was no way they would have believed me about you guys."

Raph sighed. "Aint that always the case? anyway, the important thing is, you're here now."

I nodded. "Indeed. And thanks again, Raph." I drew him into a comforting hug. "And congrats to you for being able to snuff your pride to appologize."

Raphael had the good grace to blush a little. Clearly, my compliment meant alot to him. "Thanks, kiddo." And with that, we walked back into the lair.

**Raph's P.O.V.**

There, I'd done it! I had managed to appologize to her. I felt lighter as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And indeed there had been. Everything that was wrong, I figured, had righted itself now. I smiled as I remembered how kind she had been about it. That made the pride stompin' all worth it. I felt a new respect and friendship towards Christine now.

_Mikey, ya picked well bro_. I thought and went to grab my sai.

**Christine's P.O.V.**

Practice, as I knew, usually went on late into the evening so I curled up with a book that April had brought me from the store. Funny, I liked being in the sewers more than I did topside. That, I realized, was because this place felt more like home than it did.

That's when I wondered about my condo that I remembered having. Was it possible that I could back there and get more things that were mine? It would be nice, I thought, to make my room that they had set up for me feel a bit more like my own. After practice, I decided, I would run the idea by Mikey.

A couple of hours later Mikey entered my room, patting himself with his sweat towel. "Hello, babe." he said, and kissed me softly.

"Hello to you too." I said, and deepened the kiss for a moment or two. He mumured his approval, then playfully kissed my neck before snuggling with me on the bed. I rested my head on his shoulder and put my arm across his plastron.

After a moment of contented silence, I said "Mikey, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Well, I was thinking that I'd like to go back to my condo to retrieve a few things. You know, just to make my room seem a little more like mine. I was wondering if you and the guys would come with me?"

"Sure, babe. No problem. We'll go tomorrow after morning practice."

"Thanks Mikey. This means alot to me." I kissed his cheek. Mikey grinned. "You're welcome."

"I love you." I said softly.

"And I," he kissed me deeply, "love you too, babe." And much to my delight, my body was worshipped by my darling boyfriend for the second time...

The next morning, as was promised, we headed out for my appartment. I was excited about finally having some of my own things once again in my grasp. I wished I could take everything, but the lair I figured wouldn't be big enough for it all. Not that it mattered too much. The fact that I'd actually have things was most important anyway.

Once we got there, I looked around. It was just as I had l remembered last seeing it. there were still several unpacked boxes sitting out everywhere and some tucked into the one bedroom and the art studio in the basement. While I was walking about in the studio, I noticed the painting I had done of Mikey when I had gotten here.

I smiled at it and sighed. Soon, the four of them were standing behind me.

"Wow. it's me!" Mikey said, astonished.

"Yes it is. I did this when I got here. I was gonna give it to you at some point, Mikey. As sort of a 'hey I'm back!' gift."

"Cool! Thanks babe!" he hugged me and kissed me soundly on the mouth. Everyone laughed.

"You've got some serious talent there, Chris." Donnie said. "You should do the rest of us." he joked.

I grinned. "Not a bad idea. I think I will." Donnie and the rest of their faces lit up like Christmas trees. I chuckled at their enthusiasm, but loved it all the same. I made a note to get them started as soon as I got a hold of some of my art supplies and had an area to do them in.

I walked upstairs and into the kitchen. It was immaculately cleaned. Nothing was out of place. Now, to me, this was weird since I was rarely neat and I was sure that when I left it, it wasn't like this. It was as if someone had come in and had done it at some point. Maybe the manager? That was entirely possible. Perhaps he made sure that it was tidy for when I recovered. I made a note to thank the person for it.

That's when I noticed something on the table, and gasped. A large katana was embedded in my table, piercing a piece of paper. The boys heard my gasp and headed upstairs to see what had caused it.

"What the hell?" Raph asked, his eyes narrowed.

It was Mikey who walked over to the sword and pulled it out of the table. "There's a note here." he said.

it read:

_This is not over yet._

I watched Mikey's expression change from one of curiosity to that of steely anger. Never had I seen him look that way. I wondered just what the note meant and why it would envoke such a response from a normally calm, and collected turtle. Donnie, Leo, and Raph, I noticed, wore the same one. Clearly, they all knew something I didn't.

"What does it mean?" I demanded.

"It has to do with how you lost your memory." Leo said slowly.

"How I lost my memory?" I echoed.

"Yes. It's a long story."

"Can you please tell me?" I pleaded, "It's been plaguing me not knowing that part of the puzzle."

Leo sighed and began the long tale. When he finished, my first thought was that it felt as if he spoke of someone else. The telling of it didn't trigger anything in my brain. It was as if it had subconciously decided it didn't want to ever remember the events. What did my therapist say that was called? selective amnesia? I made a note to ask her next session.

"That's crazy. That all really happened to me?"

Leo nodded. "It was a horrific night."

"Yeah, you were in a coma for like six months. It was brutal worrying about you." Mikey said, putting his arms around me from behind. I leaned into him.

"At least I woke up."

"Yes, that's the good part. The shitty part is that the foot clan knows," Raph pointed at the letter, "and they're comin for ya again."

"What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice shaking with fear.

"We'll protect you." Mikey said firmly and rested his head against mine.

They all nodded in agreement. "Yeah," Raph cracked his knuckles, "They aint gettin ya this time."

I smiled. "Thanks guys." I hugged them all, making their cheeks turn a light pink.

Despite the note, they managed to get all the things I wanted back to the lair without detection. Well, that was probably due to them all taking turns keeping an eye out, but whatever granted us safe passage I was gratefull for it.

Once we got back, Leo told Splinter about the message. The old rat frown for a moment before speaking.

"The best thing we can do is keep her down in the sewers with us." he turned to face me. "You musn't go for any reason otherwise they will be able to capture you."

I nodded in understanding. "Also," Splinter took my hands in his, "I have decided that you should have the ability to defend yourself as my sons do."

I simply stared at the rat in shock. He was inviting me to practice ninjitsu! That offer, I knew, was a big deal. Leo had once told me that the rat had never extended the offer to anyone else before. Not even their first human friend, April. I took a deep breath before answering Splinter.

"Yes, I would be honoured." I was excited and nervous about learning their style of fighting, but that didn't mean that I wasn't up for it. I just hoped I would make Splinter proud.

Splinter smiled at me, clearly pleased that I had accepted his offer.

"Thank you, Splinter." I said, and gently hugged the rat. He returned the hug with a surprising firmness. The wise old rat may have looked frail, but he still had strength.

"You are welcome." I looked up to see that all the boys, especially Mikey, looked very proud that I had had the offer extended to me.

"For today, however, you will simply observe the boys practicing in their evening training. Tomorrow, your lessons begin."

I gave him my thanks one more time, then turned to Mikey with a huge grin on my face.

"Congrats, babe!" Mikey said, and hugged me.

"This calls for celebratin'!" Raph announced. Enthusiastic whoops filled the room. I had to smile. Despite everything that was going on, the boys managed to find a way for me and themselves to keep on ticking. I couldn't ever thank them enough for it.

And with that, tons of Pizza and soda was consumed.

By the end of the afternoon, I was stuffed with food. Splinter called the boys for evening practice. I eagerly sat down to watch them. They all moved, I noticed, with perfect grace. One would not have thought such a thing possible considering how they were built. struck with inspiration, I ran out quickly to grab my sketchpad and pencil. When I returned I sat down and began to scribble quick pictures of their movements. Some were of just parts of their bodies, and some in their entirety.

At the same time, I studied their movements with the eyes of a brand new student. It would be me, I realized, that would be doing the same things tomorrow. I watched each of them handle their specific weapons. They wielded them as if they had done nothing else in life. It was truly amazing.

By the time they were done, I had filled several pages with sketches and had found and even bigger respect for just what these turtles are capable of.


	11. Return to You chapter eleven

AUTHOR'S NOTE: again, I'm not using first person point of view for Shredder. weird, yes, but hey...mine as well be consistant with the last chapter he was in. oh yes...this story of mine has the most reviews of any of my other ones. Thank you for showing me that dipping my toes into the TMNT world was worth it and that you love it as much as I do.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. Day one of my training and it was going better than I had expected, but I was exhausted. I wondered just how the boys endured this everyday. I glanced at my watch. I had been in the dojo for about two hours. I had one more to go. At the moment, Splinter was off getting another weapon to introduce to me to. I took the small moment to take a few deep breaths and have a sip of water from the bottle I'd brought in with me.

The boys watched my lesson, which I found a tad intimidating. So I made a good effort not to fall on my bottom too many times in front of them. Thankfully, when I did, they had the good grace not to say anything. I suspected that was because they themselves had done that a fair number of times before getting the moves right. It made me more comfortable and gave me a bit more confidence in myself.

I wondered briefly what weapon the old rat was bringing in. I already knew about the boys's weapons and the basics about how to use them. It turned out they were those star-like objects whose name I didn't even try to pronounce.

"Are you ready?" Splinter asked me.

"Yes, Sensei." Now, it still felt weird calling him that. And with that thought in mind, the lesson began again.

Finally, the lesson was finished. I sighed and collapsed on the mats. Damn, I was tired. My limbs felt like liquid weights, and parts I didn't even realize I had ached. So, basically, I ached everywhere. Moments later, a smiling Mikey stood looking down at me.

Despite my body hurting, I smiled back at him. "No power," I huffed, "On God's green earth will make me stand up right now."

Mikey laughed. "You'll get stiff if ya keep laying there, dudette." he pointed out.

I just groaned and stayed where I was. Leo saw me and laughed too. "He's right, Chris."

"Fine." I grumbled and groaned more as I stood. Every once in a while, I muttered an "ouch" as I hobbled out of the dojo. Thankfully, Mikey helped me along so I didn't fall over.

"I had no idea that this was so much work."

Mikey grinned. "It is. But no worries! it gets easier."

"I bloody well hope so." I rubbed my sore butt.

"I know just what ya need." he said, and kissed my forehead. Mikey motioned for me to lay down on his bed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Mikey...there is no way I could be up for that right now."

Mikey shook his head. "massage." I liked the sound of that idea immensely. I shed my exercise clothes as quickly as my poor aching body would allow, and laid down as he had asked me to.

I felt his hands work my shoulders first. Oh man, it felt great! I felt my muscles turn to mush. I decided that I had definately died and gone to heaven. My eyes drifted shut while Mikey worked. The roughness of his hands, I decided, only added to the good feeling. By the end of it, I was boneless and thoroughly relaxed. Man, this turtle had some pretty damn good hidden talents.

"Feel better?" he whispered in my ear.

"mmhmm." I mumbled, unable to form words just yet.

"Good." he said and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Turn over, babe. time for your feet!"

I did, and grinned when I saw his face. "Hello, lover." I said and winked at him. Mikey grinned back at me, and gave me a soft kiss. It was amazing to see how much he'd grown up. I had once said that same remark to him while we were younger just to bug him and he'd turned beet red. This time, he simply gave me a sensual and knowing smile.

Of course, my train of thought immediately derailed once he began to work on my feet.

"Havin' fun you two?" I heard Raph say. I opened an eye and saw him leaning against Mikey's doorframe.

I sighed in delight. "Yes." Raph chuckled.

"I thought as much." he said, then noticed that one my legs was almost completely uncovered by the sheets. Just to bug Mikey, he looked at it up and down. Mikey glared at him.

"Nice stems." he added, then left the room. I laughed, but Mikey narrowed his eyes. "Smartass."

"Yes, he is. It's amusing."

Mikey shook his head, but cracked a small smile. "He doesn't need encouragement."

I poked him gently in the beak with my toe. "You're just annoyed because he checked me out and complimented me."

Mikey sighed, knowing I was right. "I can't help it, babe. I get possessive with the first woman I have ever loved."

My heart warmed at his words. "I love you, too." And with that, I sat up and kissed him.

"Master Shredder, the work is nearly complete. I think it is time soon to activate the spell."

Shredder stood, grinning gleefully at the news his henchman imparted. "Good." he couldn't resist rubbing his hands together. He was finally going to get the upperhand on those turtles. They were not going to muck up his plans this time. He had perfected the spell so that there would be no chance for them to stop it.

"Soon, you will cease to exist." Shredder said, addressing the turtles even though they weren't there and couldn't hear him.

He turned to his henchman. "Make sure the transportation spell is ready to go immediately."

"Yes, sir." he turned to leave, but Shredder stopped him.

"One more thing, I want the barrier spells up and working aswell. They must NOT get in."

"Yes, sir." the henchman repeated, and left to do Shredder's bidding.

A few moments later, Shredder heard a shout from inside the building. "Everything is ready!"

"Good! begin!" Shredder shouted back.

And with that, the hundreds of henchmen began to work the spells.

Dinner was in full swing in the lair. Mikey and I were making dough for pizzas, Raph was taking care of chopping the ingredients for the toppings, Leo was setting the table, and Donnie was in charge of drinks. We were like a well-oiled machine, I mused. It was amazing how efficient the boys could be when they were hungry.

"Here's the pepperoni!" Raph said, proudly pointing a large pile of it that he had chopped. Beside the pepperoni was the grated cheese, green peppers, pineapple, ham, and other various ingredients.

I grinned. "Thanks, Raph." I set some down on the flat dough I had in front of me. Soon, we had about four pizzas ready to go.

Mikey held open their oven while I placed all four of them inside. Thanks to Mikey's luck, they had found this oven while looking for household items years before I had met them. It had been in good condition and just needed simple fixing, which Donnie had been grateful to do. To this day, almost 15 years later, the thing still worked. I figured it was due to the fact that Donnie took such good care of it. I made a mental note to get them a brand spanking new one should this one ever break down finally.

I was washing my hands when I felt an odd tingling in my fingers. Thinking maybe I had somehow cut my blood circulation off, I shook them gently. Unfortunately, it only got worse. Soon, I began to feel dizzy. I gripped the counter to keep from tottering over.

Mikey look at me with concern. "Babe, you alright?"

I didn't get a chance to answer him. My world was lost in a blast of multicoloured lights.

"Ah! at last...she wakes!" I heard a voice say. It took me a moment to recognize the voice, but when I did, my blood ran cold.

_Shredder! _

I opened my eyes to see that I was in a warehouse. It looked much like the one the boys had described to me when they had explained how I'd lost my memory. My hands and feet were bound and there was a strip of duct tape across my mouth. A group of henchmen appeared and chanted a few words together. I watched in amazement as a huge wall of blue-ish white flame surrounded me then vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"That," Shredder announced, "is to keep you there...and to keep those meddlesome turtles from rescuing you. My plan_ will _work this time." And with that, he shouted more orders at his henchmen. Soon, they were beginining get another odd ritual. I felt my stomach turn at the possiblities. Evil vibes filled the room. I shuddered, feeling a long dormant memory of just such a feeling surface.

I had felt this before with these people..._the boys were right... _I thought and felt my mind assaulted with memories. It was like watching a silent movie in my head. Soon, all the spaces in my memory were filled.

_I remember...everything... _

An even colder sense of dread filled me. I knew why they had brought me here...they were going to try the spell again. I struggled with the ropes around my wrists, to no avail. But dammit, I had to try. I wasn't going to let them possess me if there was anything I could possibly do about it.

One of the henchmen laughed coldly while he watched me try to free myself. "You will never be free of those. It is futile to try." I cringed at his high, raspy voice. It reminded me of someone running their fingernails down a chalkboard.

"The spell has been perfected so that nobody can stop it...It will be a pleasure to watch you and turtles suffer."

I narrowed my eyes at him and mentally called him some bad names. It only made me feel slightly better, but still it was worth it.

Just then, I watched the room fill with henchmen, each, as it seemed, had a specific job. They moved in a syncronicity that I was sure was choreographed. It was clear that Shredder had been doing extensive planning while I had been out of commition so to speak.

A moment later, Shredder approached me with a huge katana.

"This," he said, letting the light run down the lethal blade, "Is for you." And with that, he had henchmen cut the ropes arounds my wrists and hold my arms out. I struggled but it was to no avail. They were far stronger than I. My eyes widened with terror as the blade sliced through the air. The next thing I knew there was a deep cut on my right wrist. Blood dripped hurriedly from the wound and landed on the floor.

"Your blood with make the spell more powerful..and work faster. Both good things." Shredder sneered, then cut my left wrist.

Both wounds hurt like a sonofabitch and I gritted my teeth behind the tape. I fought the urge to scream in pain. Shredder took a cloth out from his pocket and wiped the blood from the katana. Slowly, he resheathed it.

"Begin the next step!" Shredder shouted. His henchmen formed a circle around me and began to chant. Shredder joined in aswell, but didn't stand with the others. Instead, he came over to me, in his hand was a smaller knife.

_Oh, God... _I thought desperately, _what's next?_

I quickly got my answer. With a sneer, Shredder cut my tank top off of me. I narrowed my eyes at him while he did this. Of course, he only smiled back raising the knife so it was mere inches from my face. My stomach sank as he lowered the knife. I grit my teeth again as the knife slowly cut into my abdomen.

Shredder laughing softly to himself as he worked. I wished with all my might that Mikey would appear and kick his ass.

_Oh, Mikey..._

I struggling with renewed vigor, but his henchmen only held onto me tighter. I took a deep breath. I was getting weaker. I glanced at my hands. They were stained with my blood as well my entire arm from my elbows down. Lots, I noticed, had also begun to pool on the floor. Suddenly, it began to glow as though someone had shone a flashlight underneath it.

Shredder immediately noticed this and cackled with joy. "It's working!"

_Nooooooo!_ I thought desparately, _I won't be taken from him again! _ I fought with all my might to stay awake as the need to close my eyes and collapse to the floor became stronger and stronger.

Lights of red, orange, and yellow swirled around me like flames. Soon, it heated as though it was. Sweat dripped down my face and mingled with my blood. I barely noticed that my sweating had allowed the duct tape to fall to the floor, having lost it's adhesiveness.

I thought for sure I would burn to death. _"Goodbye, Mikey..." _I whispered, then fell into blackness.


	12. Return to You chapter twelve

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** That last chapter took longer to put up than I had anticipated due to schooling..grrr. sorry! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. oh yeah...and I'm not entirely sure if turtles, or these guys for that matter, have a keen sense of smell BUT in my story they do.

**Mikey's P.O.V.**

"Dammit, Leo! there's no trace of her" said a very frustrated Raphael from a rooftop. Leonardo was standing next to him at the moment. The rest of his brothers stood on other roofs closer to the two of them.

"No, there doesn't seem to be." Leo agreed.

"I wonder the fuck Shred-Head has her."

Leo didn't bother asking Raph how he could assume that. They all knew he was behind her disappearance.

I sat on the building next to Raph and Leo, angry as a hornet. If and when we find shredder, I told myself, I'd personally kick his ass into the middle of next week.

_Man, I'm starting to sound like Raph..._

Growling in frustration, I hopped onto yet another rooftop, then another. That's when I caught a whiff of something. I sniffed hoping to get a better idea of what it could be. It smelled coppery.

"Blood..." I muttered to myself. I turned and motioned for my brothers to stand next to me. They did.

"You smell that" I asked.

"Yeah..." Raph said, and narrowed his eyes.

Leo sniffed the air aswell. "It's coming from over there." he pointed to our left. And with that, we went in that direction. As we did the scent got stronger and stronger.

Just then we saw a huge blast of red, yellow, and orange light shoot through a building in The Bronx.

"Chris" I shouted, and took off like a shot for where the light was coming from.

_Please be okay, Christine. Please be okay. I couldn't stand to lose you again..._

When I got there, I checked out the situation. Guards were stationed outside, and snipers on the roof. Obviously Shredder had expected us again as per normal. Well, if you could call our situation normal. It wasn't. This was going to a battle between walking, talking, ninja turtles and a huge clan of assassins led by a mad man in tin. So, yeah, definately not normal.

A little while later, my brothers caught up with me and took in what was going on themselves. Leo whispered orders at us and we all took our positions. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my raging emotions in check. If I was going to have any hope of saving her, I had to keep calm and rational.

I spotted one of Shredder's henchmen and crept up behind him. I managed to gift him a swift kick to the head knocking him out before he knew what hit him. The battle was on...

**meanwhile, inside the warehouse...**

**Christine's P.O.V.**

I awoke slowly, feeling a new power course through my veins. I felt incredibly alive, like one would if they had an adrenaline rush. I also felt pure evil, full of malice and cold glee. I took in my surroundings and saw that I was in a warehouse with hundreds of men around me. One of them stood out from the rest, grinning madly.

When I went to stand, I noticed that I had wings. Huge, leathery, bat wings with three long and undoubtedly sharp claws. I caught my reflection in a mirror that happened to be leaning against a wall.

I grinned at myself. I was roughly 6 feet tall, my skin was black, my eyes red. My fingers had grown claws and I had a nice long Devil's tail. It was an impressive picture.

"I am your master, The Shredder." the man that stood out announced. "I order you to go forth and destroy those pesky teenage mutant ninja turtles"

"It will be my pleasure." My voice had changed too. It now carried a soft french accent. I beat my great wings and took off out of the warehouse, destroying the ceiling while I was at it.

I scanned around looking for my prey. I could sense them, so I knew they were nearby it was just a matter of finding them.

aha! there they were! I thought triumphantly. They were currently engaged in battle with Shredder's guards. They disposed of them quickly and turned to head for the entrance.

I swooped down to stand in front of them.

"What the hell is that" I heard one of them say.

"Your doom." I said simply.

I watched as realization dawned on all of them.

"The spell." one of them said"Shredder got it to work" He clutched his bo tighter in his hands.

"Christine..." Another one of them said, in a voice I was sure meant his heart was breaking. I chuckled. Fucking sap.

"Time" Power crackled in my fingers"for you to die." I muttered some ancient language and shot beams of power at them. They scattered like sheep. This was going to be fun, I thought and rubbed my hands together in glee.

I watched as one of them threw what I recognized as a sai at me. I held my hand up, stopping it in midair. I shook my finger at the turtle who had done it. And with a flick of my wrist, I threw it back at him. It missed his head by an inch.

"Foolish, foolish turtles." I grumbled and continued my assault on them by shooting lightning bolts at them. It was so much fun watching them practically dance to avoid them. It was like being a puppeteer. I cackled when I got one of them in the chest. He was rocketed against the wall of the warehouse, crashing through it in the process.

"Mikey! No" one shouted.

"Waah, waah, waah" I taunted and laughed more. The red bandana wearing turtle glared at me. That only made me laugh harder. Man, killing these turtles was going to be much for fun that I had originally thought.

**Mikey's P.O.V. **

I groaned as I got up from the rubble. Thanks to my tough shell, I had survived the blast. Man, it was good to be a turtle sometimes. I climbed out carefully, hoping that I wouldn't be seen. As I did, tears stung my eyes. I couldn't believe that we had been too late. She was now lost to the evil magic and was bent on killing us. I limped to the farthest wall. Pain shot through my ankle. It was clear that I had twisted it, and badly. My arm also hurt like a sonofabitch and I couldn't move it. I immediately knew it was broken for I had done it when I was younger.

As I hobbled along, I listened to make sure I wasn't being followed. Satisfied that I wasn't, I slid down the wall and sat. I was unable to stand anymore. I groaned, wishing I wasn't so helpless. I wanted so much to help my brothers, and her...

But what could we do? I thought sadly. None of us had any knowledge of magic. It seemed pretty damned hopeless. I felt sadness well up inside me. Tears began to slide down my face.

_Oh, god, Christine, I'm so sorry... _

Suddenly, I heard the sound of wings flapping in the air. I looked to see her standing there. My heart sank. She had found me and was going to finish the job.

"Thought I wouldn't find you? well" she lifted me up with her magic"you were sadly mistaken." I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the killing blow I was sure she was going to deliver.

"You will _not_ harm him" I heard a familiar voice say.

I glanced up and saw none other than Splinter standing just four feet away from us.

"Sensei" I shouted in disbelief.

I watched her turn her head towards the rat. "You think you can stop me"

Splinter narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Indeed I do." And to my amazement, power crackled in his old claws. He chanted a few words then shot a beam of white light at her. It struck right in her chest and sent her flying ten feet from me. I grit my teeth as I hit the ground with a thump.

"Master Splinter...how"

The old rat held a hand up to silence me. "There will be time to explain later."

She regained her footing and charged the rat angrily. "How dare you"

Splinter shot yet another beam and she hit the ground again. Thoroughly pissed off now, she chanted some words and shot some black magic back at the rat. Splinter flipped in the air, avoiding it.

"Evil magic, leave her at _once_" Splinter chanted something else and a white, glittering beam hit her this time before she had a chance to strike back. She screamed as she was consumed by the light.

Splinter and I covered our eyes as the light was blinding. Moments later, It disappeared and it it's place was Christine and this time, she was herself again.

Joy filled my heart. I wanted so much to run to her, but I couldn't thanks to my ankle. I watched her slowly wake up.

Christine's P.O.V.

"Christine" I heard a voice say.

"Mikey" I responded hopefully as I slowly stood up.

"Yes, it's me babe."

I looked around for him and saw that he was sitting against wall of the warehouse. I immediately went to him and took him in my arms.

"I was so frightened..." tears poured down my face. "Thanks again for saving me." I kissed the top of his head.

"Actually, it was Splinter." Mikey gestured with his left arm at the rat.

"Splinter? how"

"I shall explain. While I was back at the lair, I grew restless, worrying about my sons. So, I decided some tidying was in order. I was putting some books away when I noticed one of them was on the ground open. I looked at it and noticed quickly that it was the exact spell shredder had been planning to use on you. The page after had the counterspell for it. I took no time and made sure I would be able to cast it. That is where the white beams came from. And so, by hitting you with the counterspell's white magic, you were healed and brought back to us."

"Imagine" I said in disbelief"the cure was right under your..erm..beaks." I smiled.

"Yes..lucky for you." Mikey said. "I was sure you were gonna pop me off..." He used his good arm to point at the other one. "Broken." he pointed at his left ankle. "twisted."

"I'm so sorry..." Tears stung my eyes.

Mikey kissed my cheek. "No worries, babe. That wasn't you that did it, it was the magic."

My heart warmed at his comforting. "Well, let's get you back the lair. Where are the others"

"Here" Donny said, coming into view with Leo and Raph.

"Thank god! are you all alright"

" Yeah, we are." Raph answered. He noticed Mikey and ran to him. "You okay, bro? we saw ya go through that wall..."

"Yeah, I'm okay..." Mikey filled him in on his injuries and what had happened.

"Incredible" Leonardo said, looking at his sensei with new respect and amazement.

Splinter only chuckled. "One does what one must to help those they care about." he said, giving me a warm smile. I smiled back, touched by his words.

And with that, we all headed back the lair. Leo and Raph helped Mikey along. Once we got back, they placed Mikey on his bed and attended to his injuries. The other boys had gotten away with only minor cuts and scrapes. When that was done, I carefully laid down next to the injured turtle.

"You are you feeling"

"Ah, I hurt, but hey...I'm alive and you're okay. that's what matters."

I smiled and kissed him softly. "I love you, Michelangelo."

"And I love you, Christine." He responded, and kissed me once more.

The End.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **And we reach the end! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It was truly a pleasure knowing that you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. and for those of you who want more, never fear! you will see these guys again in my sequel which I will begin writing soon! stay tuned and watch for it! thanks again and take care.


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